Qatar's long-term plans for a "World Cup every single year"

Sunday will be an important landmark for Qatar as a nation.

While it may be race day for the Gulf state’s inaugural Formula 1 race, it will also be one year to the day until the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

From the moment you land in Qatar, it is obvious where all of the nation’s efforts are being charged right now. The capital, Doha, is undergoing extensive work to get the stadiums and infrastructure ready in time for the tournament. But while F1 may be taking a year off from Qatar in 2022 because of its focus on the World Cup, 2023 will mark the start of a new 10-year deal for the country, expanding the series’ presence in the Middle East to a fourth grand prix.

Qatar has always made clear that it is treating 2021 as something of a bonus year. Discussions about stepping in as a replacement round for the cancelled Australian Grand Prix ran in parallel with talks about the long-term deal, meaning they could be announced in tandem at the end of September.

For Amro Al-Hamad, the executive director of the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation, bringing F1 to Qatar marks the achievement of a long-held dream after many years of trying.

“We were so close to achieving it at one stage, but then the dream went into the background,” he told Autosport. “It’s huge. I cannot describe it. It’s been a dream to me personally, not only on a professional side, but personally to have the Formula 1 cars racing at the Losail International Circuit here in the state.”

Losail has been a permanent fixture on the MotoGP calendar since opening in 2004, but has not hosted a major international single-seater event since GP2 Asia’s sole visit in 2009. It means that, perhaps unsurprisingly, the track is not expected by most to perfectly suit the F1 cars. The fast-flowing layout will make for exciting qualifying laps, but may leave more to be desired come the race.

George Russell, Williams FW43B

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Organisers faced a little over six weeks to get preparations finalised at Losail for F1’s debut in Qatar after signing the contract. “I think we hold the record for the country that hosted a Formula 1 race with the shortest notice between the time of signing a contact,” said Al-Hamad. “It’s been non-stop.”

Multiple visits were made by FIA race director Michael Masi to help get the track ready and complete minor upgrades so it could host F1, having already been at a high standard thanks to MotoGP. Additional temporary grandstands were also put up after demand for tickets surpassed expectations.

It is something Al-Hamad attributed in part to the success of the Netflix series, Drive to Survive. “It just increased the magnitude or the projection of love to something like F1,” he said. “I’m sure the [long-term] deal came out as probably an outcome of the increased interest in F1.”

"Formula 1 being here is definitely going to attract a lot of attention, and put us back again in the spotlight" Amro Al-Hamad

The feedback from drivers after Friday’s running was largely positive. Esteban Ocon called the track “awesome”, saying it was a mix of Istanbul and Sepang to make it “very, very good fun”. Lewis Hamilton noted how “physical” it was with no traditional slow-speed corners, while Max Verstappen called it “really cool” over one lap.

The race could well be a different story, given the difficulty the current generation of cars have following each other through high-speed corners. But qualifying under the lights should be a good spectacle. Al-Hamad said the focus was on getting the Losail race right before giving any thought to Qatar’s plans from 2023, but they are already in the works behind-the-scenes. A newly-built permanent track is expected for the start of the 2023 deal.

But Al-Hamad is eager to ensure Losail - which is expected to keep the MotoGP race despite the plans for the new track - maintains a four-wheel presence moving forward and can attract other big international championships.

Dignitaries watch the action from a balcony

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“Formula 1 being here is definitely going to attract a lot of attention, and put us back again in the spotlight,” he said. “There’s a huge possibility that we’re going to host a lot of other motorsports events in the state.”

But it is impossible to explore Qatar’s expansion in motorsport and wider sport in general without addressing the human rights questions, chiefly relating to the treatment of migrant workers. Amnesty International recently called on F1 drivers to speak up about the series racing in nations such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia with “extremely troubling” human rights records, with Hamilton being the most vocal during Thursday’s press conferences.

“I do think as these sports go to these places, they are duty bound to raise awareness for these issues,” Hamilton said. “These places need scrutiny, and it needs the media to speak about these things. Equal rights is a serious issue.”

Hamilton made reference to steps Qatar was making with human rights, including the reforms for the kafala (work sponsorship) system that were introduced in September 2020 that allow migrant workers to change jobs without employer permission and introduced a higher minimum wage.

While Human Rights Watch notes Qatar has introduced “significant labour reforms”, it adds: “Certain elements of the kafala system remain in place, facilitating abuse and exploitation of the country’s large migrant workforce, and Qatari authorities’ efforts to protect migrant workers’ right to accurate and timely wages have largely proven unsuccessful.”

Human Rights Watch also says: “Some male guardianship policies and discriminatory laws against women continue. LGBT individuals continue to face discrimination.” Ahead of FP1, Hamilton unveiled a special helmet design for the Qatar weekend (below). It features the Progress Pride flag, which incorporates the rainbow LGBTQ+ flag, black and brown stripes to represent marginalised LGBTQ+ communities of colour, and the transgender pride flag.

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

It tied in with what Hamilton had said the day before: it was a way to speak up, make a stand, and try to get a message out. “One person can only make a certain amount of small difference, but together collectively you can have a bigger impact,” he said.

The sporting spotlight is one that Qatar has long-craved and is now stepping into, with the FIFA World Cup acting as the major landmark event the country has sought. Qatar was interested in hosting the Olympics in 2032, and remains keen on becoming the first country in the Middle East to host the games. But in the meantime from 2023, F1 will become the major sporting spectacle that Qatar leans on.

“The World Cup will finish next year - we’re going to become the World Cup that is happening every single year for 10 years,” said Al-Hamad. “We have been preaching about how good we are prepared for the World Cup, and we’re only going to be able to prove it during the World Cup.

"One person can only make a certain amount of small difference, but together collectively you can have a bigger impact" Lewis Hamilton

“Now, it’s going to be a World Cup happening every year in Qatar. It’s just a cherry on top of all the other sports events that we are hosting.”

With its long-term deal, F1 is going to be a key part of the nation's post-World Cup legacy. It is therefore important that the series uses the spotlight it brings to positive change, and encourages Qatar to build on its early reforms and progress.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images